Nixon's Master Blaster Headphones are their top-of-the-line, studio quality headphones. In addition to beautiful, lightweight design, these leather-wrapped cans have 50mm dynamic drivers and an analog volume dial built around the speaker cabinet.

Price: $200

The Verdict: There's a lot to love about the Master Blasters. Clearly the name is awesome, but the look and sound of these headphones also rise to the occasion. I particularly love the vinyl record-look on the outside of the cans, and the firm fit that the ball and socket hinge provides. The leather keeps things soft and comfy, and while the lightweight means you can wear them for more than 30 minutes without feeling like a pile of bricks. The rotating volume knob around the speaker cabinet is also a quick and easy way to kill the sound.

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As for the sound, the Master Blasters excel in high and mid-range clarity, able to delineate one intricate sound texture from another. On the other end, the bass handling is adequate, if not spectacular. Punchy bass tends to sound lifeless, while rumbling, fuzzy bass has a mild, pleasant resonance. I used Sony's V700dj headphone as a reference pair of headphones, since the two are similarly spec'd. In my brief, very unscientific tests, the Master Blasters were better when it came to the upper range of sound frequencies, but the bass and lower mid-range of the Sony's are noticeably better.

Basically, Nixon's Master Blaster's aren't the cheapest or most portable full-sized headphones around, but if you're willing to pay a little extra for good design and a nuanced improvement in sound, these are well worth considering. [Nixon]